


Metalheads: Myths Of Misunderstanding

by Mrs_Eddie



Category: Original Work
Genre: Essays, Heavy Metal, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-02
Updated: 2015-09-02
Packaged: 2018-04-18 16:17:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4712390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mrs_Eddie/pseuds/Mrs_Eddie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is just an argumentative essay I did on the side about how metalheads aren't evil/satanic/bad influences.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Metalheads: Myths Of Misunderstanding

**Metalheads: Myths Of Misunderstanding**

Heavy metal. The world of headbangers and one of the most misunderstood music communities out there. As a metalhead myself, I would like to shed some light on our community. People call us "satanic devil worshipers", "dangerous" or "bad influences", and "violent", when in reality most of us are laid-back, slightly nerdy individuals. So what's the deal with these labels?

First, let's examine the one thing people do best: judge others. Those who claim to be "non-judgmental" do it sometimes too. Your mind probably has a label or judgment for pretty much everything: movies, books, jobs, people, clothes, beliefs, and everything that exists. It's usually a "good" or positive label or a "bad" or negative one. For example, most people would be more accepting toward an individual dressed in a "normal", not easily noticed outfit than they would toward a goth girl or guy. Why? Because their mind puts the plain-looking individual in the familiar, "good" category and the person who dresses more noticeably into the "bad" one. It's just what people do. So why are metalheads and their music placed in the "bad" category? Sometimes we do look a little different in our band shirts and studded accessories, but does that make us "bad"? No. It makes us... different. And society doesn't like that. So they try to choke us out. And when they fail to do so, they resort to placing bad labels on what they do not like or understand. They don't do that to just metalheads. They do it to anyone who doesn't match up perfectly.

Let's examine the labels placed on us metalheads. We mentioned "satanic devil worshipers", "dangerous", "bad influences", and "violent" previously. There are, of course, more than that, but for now, these are the ones covered because they are the most common and untrue. I'm not quite certain where the devil worshiping accusation came from. Now, a few metal album covers do feature the devil on them, but does that mean that the members of that band worship the devil? Not necessarily. Hammerfall (a Swedish power metal band) feature artwork of a warrior named Hector on all but one of their album covers and on all of their merchandise. Do they worship Hector? No. Most metal artists are not particularly vocal about their religion. They lay aside their personal beliefs and write about what fascinates or inspires them. Take Johan Hegg (vocalist for Swedish death metal band Amon Amarth), for example. Hegg has stated publicly that he is an atheist. However, almost all of Amon Amarth's songs are taken directly from Norse mythology and the Prose Edda (somewhat comparable to the "bible" of Norse religion). Does he practice this Old Norse paganism? Absolutely not. But he is fascinated by this part of his heritage and writes songs that reflect this interest. Another good and well-known example of someone who makes music contradictory to their beliefs is Tom Araya, vocalist and bassist of Slayer (a pioneer thrash metal band). According to Encyclopaedia Metallum (a database of metal bands with information on these bands), Slayer’s lyrical themes are: “Satan, anti-religion, war, murder, politics”. Araya is, however, a Catholic, and he is not afraid to discuss this. He states that he doesn’t allow Slayer’s lyrics to interfere with his faith: "I have a really strong belief system and these are just words and they'll never interfere with what I believe and how I feel.” He lays aside his personal beliefs and writes and sings about what he thinks will appeal to his fans. His art does not represent his faith. Although this is a somewhat extreme example, it shows that heavy metal artists and listeners are not necessarily “Satanic”, even if they did choose to write about the devil.

Many of metal's opponents will blindly claim that the music is satanic. This is only really true if you are referring to black metal (a very non-publicized sub-genre of heavy metal) which is, for the most part, satanic. Most metal songs are about thoughts, feelings, things that fascinate the author, and sometimes fantasy or mythology. Well-known band Iron Maiden often write songs about historical figures and events as well as literature. Many metal artists are quite well-educated, making their lyrics diverse. For example, Heri Joensen from Faroese band Týr is capable of fluently speaking seven languages and has a degree in music theory (he is currently pursuing one in Faroese language and culture); Bruce Dickinson, vocalist for Iron Maiden, has a commercial pilot's license and has started a successful air travel business; Ronnie James Dio, vocalist for Black Sabbath, Dio, and others, went to college for one year and majored in pharmacology; Tom Araya, vocalist and bassist for Slayer, is certified as a respiratory therapist and worked as one before joining Slayer; and Nicko McBrain, drummer for Iron Maiden, has an engineering degree. These are just a few examples; there are many more out there. Metal artists have much, much more to say than "bow before Lucifer". Some examples of "smart" metal songs are: "Alexander The Great" by Iron Maiden; "Sinklar's Vísa" by Týr; "Bushido" by Hammerfall; "War Of The Gods" by Amon Amarth; and many others. The best way to find these educated songs is to take a listen and read the lyrics.

An example of an album that was (and still is) very misunderstood is Iron Maiden's The Number Of The Beast. When the album was first released, many assumed that it was a satanic album and thus labeled Iron Maiden as "Satanists". Without knowing anything about the album or the band's members, one could assume that it may be satanic by looking at the cover and the name: This poses no problem, however, to the Maiden fan who has done a little research about the album and the band themselves. Nicko McBrain, drummer for the band and born-again Christian, says in one interview: "When I play the song ["The Number Of The Beast"], I think, well, okay, this isn't glorifying the devil, because that's certainly not what I would do." He goes on to say that "It's making an awareness that yes, he's out there, and you have to be aware. There is a man with '666' tattooed on his noggin somewhere." The actual song "The Number Of The Beast" was, according to the author, written about a nightmare, not an obsession with the devil. The lyrics make it quite obvious that it is about a dream: "'Cos in my dream it's always there/The evil face that twists my mind and brings me to despair..." I would expect that if Iron Maiden were Satanists, they would not write a song about being saddened or scared by the devil; rather, the song should glorify the devil. If those who were offended by the album's content would simply take a look at the lyrics to the songs, they would realize that they are quite mistaken and have little to fear. Looking into the lyrics and a band's motives for writing the song can greatly change the perspective of the listener.

Now that we have cleared the "satanic" label, let's examine the "dangerous" and "bad influences" accusation, because these two accusations go hand-in-hand. Why are metalheads accused of such a thing? We do sometimes look a little scary in leather bracers and battle jackets, but if you look beyond the long hair and into typical metalheads, you will see that they (for the most part) have one thing in common: most of them are misfits and outcasts. If you examine them more closely, it will be noticed that many misfits and outcasts tend to wear more eccentric and "scary" looking clothing than do those who are readily accepted into the crowd. Metalheads are no exception. Often no one notices the outcasts until they begin wearing skull shirts and spiked bracelets. It's their way of saying "I'm still here, and I'm not backing down". This does not make them violent, dangerous, or bad influences. Surveys have shown that often the metalheads and goths are also the "smart" students at school. Thus metalheads may actually be a good influence on someone who may not listen to their music.

Some will insist that metal is violent, which makes the listeners dangerous. Some metal is violent. For example, Cannibal Corpse and Autopsy have been heavily criticized throughout their careers for their use of extreme, graphic violence in their lyrics (which you may have been able to guess by their names). Now, for comparison, sit down and watch a modern horror movie or play one of many popular war-simulating video games. All three are on similar levels of violence. Are horror-movie viewers and gamers perceived as violent individuals? Not usually. So, by that logic, a Cannibal Corpse fan should be treated no differently than a gamer or horror-movie viewer. Brian Figueiredo, guitarist and vocalist for Disgust (Canadian death metal band) makes a good point when he says "I'd say society looks at death metal as glorifying hate and violence, which is not necessarily what it is about -- unless you say horror films do the same." There are also metal bands and songs which do not have any violence in them at all (which is actually the great majority of well-known heavy metal). We have shown previously that metal is a diverse genre with many different themes. Are mythology, literary figures, and fantasy dangerous? Most would agree that they are not. After all, much of it is required reading during high school. Alice Cooper pointed this out: “There’s more blood in Macbeth than in my shows, and that’s required school reading.”

It is interesting to note that in sociological studies, the results show that metalheads are quite the opposite to what people think they are. For example, a study done by _The Guardian_ showed that metalheads and classical music fans have very similar personality types _(http://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/sep/08/classical.metal.fans.study)_. Most people think of metalheads as angry or depressed people, when in reality most of them are laid-back individuals. Another study at the University of Queensland’s School of Psychology showed that listening to heavy metal can increase positive emotions _(https://www.uq.edu.au/ news/article/2015/06/head-banging-tunes-can-have-same-effect-warm-hug_ ). Even science has shown that metalheads are quite the opposite of what people think they are. In reality, most metalheads enjoy their music, the company of fellow metalheads, and doing nerdy things more than anything else. Many are Renaissance festival goers and gamers, and those same people are often musicians and history buffs. These people are not dangerous or violent at all.

As a metalhead, I’d like to see these myths about us die. Not only are they untrue, but they are also demeaning and insulting. We are, in fact, very normal people with different tastes. Often we are cast out from acceptance, with metal and fellow metalheads as our comfort and friends. Some metal speaks our feelings for us, some moves us, some encourages us, and some is powerful enough to move the listener to tears. Most of the artists we look up to were once where we are: misunderstood and cast out from acceptance. They speak to us and our feelings. When given a second glance, metalheads appear as they are: normal people with slightly eccentric tastes.

**Author's Note:**

> Interview with Tom Araya taken from: Blabbermouth.net: TOM ARAYA: SLAYER's Lyrics Are 'Just Words And They'll Never Interfere With What I Believe' (http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/tom-araya-slayer-s-lyrics-a re-just- words-and- they-ll- never- interfere- with-what-i- believe/)
> 
> Interview with Nicko McBrain taken from Cnn.com: “Heavy Metal And Violence: More Than A Myth?” http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/05/09/metal.violence/index.html?iref=24hours


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